This was the instrument clinic put on by a bunch of members of the Big Four. It was a ton of fun for everyone involved, and I pretty much had the coolest few minutes of my entire life tonight.

Adrenaline Mob started with a thirty minute set. They were okay I guess. Russell Allen actually sounded a lot better tonight than he did on the SX tour, I guess the break from the tour did him some good! If anyone has the setlist, you're more than welcome to post it. If not, I'll try to grab it from the stream.

Now this is where the review is gonna get weird because I straight up can't remember everything and every dude who played on each song (Help me Turtle!!). Frankie, Ellefson, Charlie (on guitar I think?) and Portnoy (again, I think) did a short Iron Maiden jam. Frankie had tech issues, so the rest of the band did Dawn Patrol while they waited haha. Then Frankie came out by himself and talked about growing up and how he got into music and his playing technique and such. He and Charlie did a bass and drums version of Got the Time, which was actually pretty fun. I'm drawing a blank for the rest of the bit right now, but I'm pretty sure there was a stream of the clinic online.

Then Ellefson came out and did the same thing as Frankie. Dude rips on bass, I had no idea he was so good. He played bits of Peace Sells, Devils Island, Hangar 18, The Skull Beneath the Skin, and Public Enemy No. 1. (Mechanix too maybe?). Then he brought out Chris Broderick, Benante, Bello (and maybe Portnoy?) and they did some classic rock/NWOBHM cover that sounded super familiar but I couldn't identify. Again, help me Turtle!

After that Dave Lombardo came out by himself. He didn't do much talking, he just did a drum solo and did parts of songs that people requested. He did Silent Scream, Ghosts of War, Criminally Insane, and one other song possibly. He threw in random drum jams throughout. Lombardo is God. He probably did some other cool stuff, but I was occupied by about half of his bit.

So before Adrenaline Mob, Charlie's drum tech went out on the floor and asked around for drummers. I said I played, and he asked if I wanted to join Charlie onstage. After realizing that I was not being messed with, I said yes and during Lombardo's set, he took me and another kid backstage. Charlie came down and filled us in on what we were going to do, and then we got to hang out for a bit. I had cool conversations with Charlie, Ellefson and Broderick, and got to meet Dave Lombardo. Frankie and Kerry King had to run somewhere, so I didn't get to talk to them. Out of nowhere Phil Anselmo ran over and pretended to punch us all in the face, and then shook our hands. and said what's up. Then Charlie's tech ran me around the back of the Key Club over to Lombardo's drum kit and we began the bit. Charlie introduced me and the other kid (well sort of, dude couldn't pronounce my name, so he gave up and just told us to come out haha!). Then the three of us did a drum duel, with Charlie starting, then other guy on Portnoy's kit, then me on Lombardo's kit doing fills. I was clearly the worst drummer (I've only had a few months worth of experience on a real kit), but I did okay I suppose. Charlie and the other guy did random fills, and I did my best to do cool stuff. I played the intro to Over the Mountain by Ozzy Osbourne, and some other random doodling. I also played a (by which I mean attempted) version of the intro to Blood by Anthrax, which Charlie seemed to recognize and he looked super happy, pointed at me and said "Hell yeah man!" Then the other two decided to do double bass. This was the first time I ever tried double bass, and I decided to try the intro to Overkill by Motorhead, but my double bass was super off kilter. Whoops! Then Charlie started a slow blast beat that me and the other guy joined him in, and it just got faster until the other kid and I pretty much started spazzing. After that ended, the three of us all took a bow. This write up might seem unenthusiastic, but this was pretty much the most awesome few minutes of my entire life, and I was smiling from ear to ear for all of it. After I went offstage Lombardo shook me and the other kid's hands and told us we did a great job. And then he tried to get me a pair of drumsticks haha! I don't care if he was just being polite, but getting to play on Dave Lombardo's drum kit while drum-dueling with Charlie Benante and then being complimented by Dave was the sickest thing ever.

Then the next bits were a bit of a blur because I was going crazy over what had just happened. Needless to say, my buddy and I were freaking out (and I also ran into Turtle right then haha!).

This is probably the most significant thing that happened when it comes to the show as a whole, but Kerry, Charlie, Frankie, Ellefson, Broderick, Lombardo, Portnoy and Phil Anselmo did a set of Pantera songs and a few other random tracks. This might be a little out of order. Oh and Geezer Butler came out to do Hole in the Sky. Charlie also played guitar on This Love. The whole set was really, really awesome.

1. Raining Blood
2. Angel of Death
3. Mouth for War
4. A New Level
5. This Love
6. Walk
7. Fucking Hostile
8. Hole in the Sky

So there's obviously a ton I'm missing from this show, but it was absolutely awesome and I'm never gonna forget sharing the stage with Charlie Benante.

Dude, congratulations! That's really awesome. Im jealous that you got to be there let alone got to play on Lombard's kit, man! That disillusion in your (digitally typed) voice proves its real, because I felt the same way when my buddy Brock invites/forces me onstage to sing songs with his band when he comes to New York. He sings for 36 Crazyfists. I've known him since I was young because my father built his families house in Alaska and Washington when we were little guys. He brings me up to sing "Turns to Ashes" "Slit Wrist Theory" or "Ceramic" and most recently "The All Night Lights."and I know that feeling.

Totally not trying to assert my experience into yours or try to better you because yours kicks more ass than imaginable!! I was just trying to relate. Honestly man, you mist have to been freaking out when you got offstage, where you feel like everyone is looking at you bit you don't want to overreact like a fanboy lol. Congrats again, brother! Can't wait to watch it on the live feed.

How were Phil's vocals? He seems to rush them when he covers Pantera. Now im not bitching because its fucking cool as hell that he even does it, but just asking...

Sir, I am extremely jelly of your experience since Dave Lombardo is one of my biggest influences. NOT FAIR... but super congrats at doing that. I cannot imagine how much of a rush you felt when you got up there.